I honestly respect old doctors – they have years of experience and often a great rapport with their patients. However, some of them need to hang up the stethoscope. Even with completing CME requirements, some do not not ever seen to change their 20-30 year old practise patterns. Case in point. A pediatrician who is generally revered by his patients’ parents (they seem to think he is like some Doctor Spock or something), is completely living in the past with his management of febrile children and infants. Typical patient he sends in:
1) A 9 month old girl with fever of 102 for one day and the sniffles. Vitals normal except the fever. He wants urine cath cultures, blood cultures, chest X-ray, and CBC. When the white count is .1 (!!!) over the limit of “normal” he wants Rocephin injection daily until the culture results come back.
Duh. Ummmmm NO. Luckily the family saw how silly this was and refused all but the blood and urine (which was normal by the way as well)
2). A 21 month old boy with fever of 103 for two days, some vomiting (but still able to hold down fluids and making urine and tears), and diarrhea. He wants Blood, urine, and stool cultures, electrolytes, and a 20cc/kilo fluid bolus.
We could not get the IV and he was screaming bloody murder, so instead I gave him an orally dissolving Zofran tablet, some juice and some Motrin. Family was happy. Pediatrician was not when he called to ask about all the results only to find I had discharge the kid.
Sorry Bud. Hang it up or repeat a residency!!!!
BTW, the answer to yesterday’s quiz was #3, but all the other options were bantered around the MD’s charting area with plenty of laughter.
Plus!! most of them have stinky breath!! LOL
My sister’s old-school pediatrician just told her to stop breastfeeding, because at two months old, the baby is not getting anything out of it anymore!
Generalizing:
I used to think the older doctors were better – more experience and whatnot, but I finally realized the young docs are better because their education is up to date and they are more likely to stay current with the literature.
Give me a young’un with 5 to 10 years experience and I’m happy.
What we need are older, experienced doctors who also care enough about their patients to keep up with the research.
For old timers to abuse patients based on old doctors’ tales is just plain wrong. If their old fashioned methods are worth keeping around, why not the same for the failed methods of their predecessors?
Is medicine supposed to have stopped just because they received their license?
This is just arrogance and ignorance.
I hate it when doctors are trapped in their graduation year. Too bad it has to be patients that report doctors for poor practice and not the other docs that have to clean up the messes.